Apollo Theater Oral History Project

Through generous support from the Apollo Theater Foundation, the Columbia Center for Oral History has conducted 70 hours of interview with leading figures in the Apollo Theater’s history with music performers, dancers, talent scouts and comedians; as well as former business managers and owners, directors and staff.

The interviews place the Apollo Theater, at its 75th anniversary, within the larger scope of African-American history, the history of music and performance and the history of New York City. The interviews reveal the unparalleled legacy of the Theater’s ability to attract extraordinarily talented young performers, such as Smokey Robinson and Dionne Warwick, and lend them the platform they needed to develop wider audiences.